When I first started learning to cook, I read an article that said something along the lines of how knowing how to correctly read a recipe is half the battle with cooking… LIKE WHAT?! So I googled it and learned and now I’m going to share my favorite tips for reading recipes like a pro with YOU 😘😘😘
- READ THE ENTIRE RECIPE TWICE before you even think about cooking. You’d be surprised how many times I hadn’t done that and found out something in the middle needed like 4 hours of cooling or some shit lol. Seriously though, this will ensure that you have all your ingredients, necessary equipment, and notice any hidden time consuming steps (thawing, marinating, cooling, etc).
- INGREDIENTS ARE LISTED IN ORDER OF USE. Or at least they should be and most recipes will have them this way. What does that mean? Basically, the first ingredient listed is the first one you’ll use first and so on.
- PAY ATTENTION TO COMMAS IN THE INGREDIENT LIST. Anything listed after a comma or sometimes a semi colon for an ingredient means that it should be done after the item is measured.
EXAMPLE >> “1/4 cup chopped pecans” means you should measure out a 1/4 cup of chopped pecans VS “1/4 cup pecans, chopped” means you should measure out a 1/4 cup of whole pecans first then chop them afterwards. I know this seems silly and picky BUT it can really change the measurement of ingredients if you don’t follow the order of measurements and actions.
- MAKE SURE TO NOTE INGREDIENTS THAT END IN “, DIVIDED” >> this means that the amount listed for that particular ingredient will be used in two or more separate parts.
EXAMPLE >> “2 tbsps maple syrup, divided” means that you use a total of 2 tbsps of maple syrup in this recipe but not all at one time. You’ll likely use 1 tbsp of it in one step and then the remaining 1 tbsp in a later step.
- DON’T BLINDLY FOLLOW COOK TIMES. Check your shit periodically and trust your instinct. Most recipes will give you a cooking time range and visual “done” cue >> this visual cue is wayyyyy more important in my opinion so I recommend always watching your food while it cooks for that visual cue of doneness!
Test these tips for reading recipes out on one of my favorite recipes! 😘😘😘